Menu

Blog

Page 1104

Sep 28, 2023

Lewy Body Disease Breakthrough — Scientists unveil Early Detection Method

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Lewy body disease ranks as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, following Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain, causing a decline in mental ability that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are medications that can help ease the symptoms.

Sep 28, 2023

Nanotechnology Breakthrough Could Help Treat Blindness

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, nanotechnology, neuroscience

Scientists have successfully used nanotechnology to develop a 3D scaffold that supports the growth of healthy retinal cells, a breakthrough that could revolutionize the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Utilizing electrospinning technology, researchers created a scaffold that, when treated with the steroid fluocinolone acetonide, enhances the resilience and growth of retinal pigment epithelial cells, potentially aiding in the development of ocular tissue for transplantation.

Scientists have discovered a way to use nanotechnology to create a 3D ‘scaffold’ to grow cells from the retina. This breakthrough could lead to innovative approaches for treating a common source of blindness.

Researchers, led by Professor Barbara Pierscionek from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), have been working on a way to successfully grow retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells that stay healthy and viable for up to 150 days. RPE cells sit just outside the neural part of the retina and, when damaged, can cause vision to deteriorate.

Sep 28, 2023

How ant brains inspire robots find their way in farmlands

Posted by in categories: food, robotics/AI

Source: allgord/iStock.

Scientists have developed a new artificial neural network that mimics the brain structures of ants and helps robots recognize and remember routes in complex natural environments, such as cornfields. The approach could improve the performance of agricultural robots that need to move through dense and plant-filled landscapes.

Sep 28, 2023

What needs to happen before we can upload our brains to a computer

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

It’s possible to upload your brain to a computer, but technology needs to advance first. Here’s what has to happen before we emulate a mind.

Sep 28, 2023

Mayo Clinic expert: Joint replacement surgery, arthritis are not inevitable

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Don’t worry about your hips or knees as you age. Arthritis in those joints isn’t inevitable. Keep doing the activities you enjoy. Those hopeful words come from Rafael Sierra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic specializing in hip and knee reconstruction. Dr. Sierra says there is no need to curtail your activities out of fear that you’ll wear out those joints as you age and need joint replacement.

However, certain conditions, such as birth defects and anatomical issues, may predispose a person to have hip or knee problems. Untreated, hip dysplasia and hip impingement are leading causes of hip replacement in people under 50. Having bowlegs, knock knees — or other structural issues — can hasten the need for knee replacement.

“But it’s not like the rest of us have to be worried and say, ‘OK, at age 50, maybe I should have my hips or knees examined by a doctor,’” Dr. Sierra says. “In general, your body — your musculoskeletal system — will let you know when you have issues.”

Sep 28, 2023

Twisted lasers could let us send messages with gravitational waves

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

Ripples in space-time called gravitational waves are normally associated with massive objects like black holes, but we could make our own using lasers – and perhaps even use them to communicate.

By Alex Wilkins

Sep 28, 2023

Antimatter does not fall up, CERN experiment reveals

Posted by in category: futurism

ALPHA-g is first to observe antihydrogen in freefall.

Sep 28, 2023

Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter

Posted by in category: particle physics

Magnetically confined neutral antihydrogen atoms released in a gravity field were found to fall towards Earth like ordinary matter, in accordance with Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Sep 28, 2023

Microsoft wants small nuclear reactors to power its AI and cloud computing services

Posted by in categories: business, climatology, nuclear energy, robotics/AI

Bill Gates is a staunch advocate for nuclear energy, and although he no longer oversees day-to-day operations at Microsoft, its business strategy still mirrors the sentiment. According to a new job listing first spotted on Tuesday by The Verge, the tech company is currently seeking a “principal program manager” for nuclear technology tasked with “maturing and implementing a global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and microreactor energy strategy.” Once established, the nuclear energy infrastructure overseen by the new hire will help power Microsoft’s expansive plans for both cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Among the many, many, (many) concerns behind AI technology’s rapid proliferation is the amount of energy required to power such costly endeavors—a worry exacerbated by ongoing fears pertaining to climate collapse. Microsoft believes nuclear power is key to curtailing the massive amounts of greenhouse emissions generated by fossil fuel industries, and has made that belief extremely known in recent months.

[Related: Microsoft thinks this startup can deliver on nuclear fusion by 2028.].

Sep 27, 2023

FedEx’s New Robot Loads Delivery Trucks Like It’s Playing 3D Tetris

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

FedEx handles over 15 million packages daily. A two-armed, AI-infused robot is now helping pack some of them into delivery trucks with expert care.